Checker’s

I didn’t get lunch until 2:15 today due to a wonderful, passive-​aggressive, miserly coworker (gotta love her, truly) so I was hungry and just wanted something greasy, filling, and fast. I decided on the American Double Melt with 2 patties, grilled onions, cheese, and toasted sourdough. The wait here is slightly longer than BK or McDonald’s since they semi-​cook the food to order rather than simply microwaving. My sandwich was very good for a fastfood place, with juicy patties, plenty of melted cheese, and flavorful grilled onions. The sourdough bread wasn’t as buttery and toasty as I would have preferred but what mattered was that it wasn’t soggy. The grilled onions definitely made my day better… well, until I got back to work but that’s beside the point. Anyhow, back to the food. Overall, the burger was on par with Gino’s but not quite as good as 5 Guy’s. The seasoned fries were hot, crispy, and a million times better than any that I have ever had at McD’s, Wendy’s, or BK. I even like them more than Arby’s, which is saying a lot coming from me. They were flavorful but not too salty, and very fresh. I also got a small Vanilla shake, which was icy and creamy. It wasn’t anything special but it hits the spot on a warm day. Less than $ 10 for 2 melts, a small soda, small fries, and a small shake, which left me with an extra sandwich for a snack/​lazy dinner. Will be back to try the loaded fries next week.

This was the first time that I had ever heard of the Checker’s fast food chain, and I was not sure if they are new and growing, but they carry the Rally’s name along with Checker’s and I had read about Rally’s in the past. Well it seems the two have merged, agreed upon a similar menu and Rally’s have redesigned their restaurants to look identical to Checker’s.
Inside the restaurant is like walking into a 50’s diner, with chrome tables and vinyl padded metal chairs, the floors are the classic black and white checkerboard design, which reminded me of Cheeburger, Cheeburger’s. The outside is a shiny white with bright yellow and red and they have not one, but two drive thru’s!
Their sandwiches are a big step up from the original fast food chains, like McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King and pretty close to the burgers you will find at Five Guy’s or Cheeburger’s. Fast food here folks, better than most chains, but do not expect to find a great restaurant quality burger.
The menu lists fifteen different hamburgers which have your choice of one or two patties. The baconzilla had two seasoned patties, triple the cheese and triple the bacon, my girlfriend’s hubby is a big guy, but he even struggled to get his mouth around that one. My gf had what they called an American double melt, but on grilled sourdough bread with grilled onions and cheese melted all over the bread and burger.
Raw or grilled, I love that they use red onions, simply because I’m a big fan of them. However, hubby and I are not a fan of «crispers», nor are we a fan of seasoned fries. Our two friends loved them and had them loaded with cheese and bacon, you can also add, onions, chili and sour cream or just eat them as is.
Their son had a fried chicken filet sandwich with cheese and put ketchup on it and asked them to hold the lettuce, ugh! One day I’ll introduce him to barbecue sauce and lettuce. It looked like the same quality chicken filet that you would get at Chic-​Fil-​A, certainly not the garbage McDonald’s passes off as chicken. They also have many ways to have a hot dog, plus chicken tenders.
I am not a chicken wing eater, rare and odd, I know, but the other three adults enjoyed trying several varieties of them and I must admit they were plump and meaty, I was so tempted to dive into the Asian wings or the garlic-​parmesan. My hubby is a girly-​man when it comes to hot and spicy, so the others ordered the honey BBQ as the third choice. They seemed to enjoy them, but I rarely here wing lovers complain.
Hubby had a grilled chili cheese dog and added mustard and onions, there is no way I could resist snagging a bite! I would have held the cheese, if adding mustard and had much more onions on it, but hey, beggar’s can’t be too choosy. He also had the Checker burger with one single patty, cheese and the usual toppings.
Only I could write such a long review over a fast food joint, but I need to tell you what I had! It’s near impossible for me to say no to a fried fish sandwich, I’ve even tried McD’s years and years ago and it was the last time, but as I always do, I scour the tables on my way in to see what looks good. Square thick fried fish patties? Hey, I took the plunge and ordered the double square fish patties with cheese, lettuce and tartar sauce and it was tasty! Not like high quakity restaurant style tasty, but if I return, I would order it again! The fish was white, firm and flakey and I love how they grill their buns.
The food takes a little while, as everything is made to order, they say heat lamps are for the lazy. A nice plus is they offer milkshakes if you are not a water or soda drinker. Hubby got vanilla and I got chocolate, I was tempted to order the banana, but was afraid it would have an artificial taste, maybe next time. Their prices are incredibly low and they run specials, which allows yo to have two sandwiches for one low price or combo deals.
All in all, they can certainly teach the lower chains how to do it right and the upper fast chains, like Five Guy’s how to keep prices in check.